BioWare revealed the first trailer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard at the Xbox Showcase on Sunday, seemingly confirming the return of at least a couple familiar faces but holding off on a formal release date for now.
The breezy trailer, which is just under two minutes, introduces several characters who players can expect to journey with in BioWare’s new RPG. They include Benara the Veil Jumper, who is seen leaping out of a portal only to be dragged back in; Davrin the Warden, Emmrich the Necromancer, Neve the Detective, Lucanis the Mage Killer, and Taash the Dragon Hunter.
BioWare previously confirmed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard will be centered around seven companions, prompting the name change from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. All of the companions look to be revealed in the trailer, which cuts from the next in the course of their various adventures.
In addition, the trailer offers a brief glimpse of two faces that should be familiar to longtime fans of the series: Varric and Lace Harding. Both can be seen reacting to the action in a handful of shots, suggesting they will have a role to play in the story. Varric was first introduced in Dragon Age II as a companion to Hawke, while Harding was introduced in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
The trailer ends with a basic fall 2024 release window, meaning fans will have to wait a bit longer for an exact date. That release date is in line with recent speculation, with one report saying that BioWare was planning to debut the next Dragon Age game within this financial year. It’s now been nearly 10 years since the most recent Dragon Age title, Inquisition, so fans have been anxiously awaiting a release date for quite some time now, to say the least.
In the meantime, BioWare has continued to slowly trickle out more information, previously announcing that the full reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard would be coming this summer. The studio previously revealed an in-game cinematic in December 2022 that focused on Solas, a playable companion in Inquisition who will have a significant role in The Veilguard — especially considering that the previous name of the game, Dreadwolf, is one of his aliases.
It’s the latest major info we’ve gotten on the highly anticipated fantasy RPG following the name change earlier this week. In an exclusive interview with IGN, BioWare general manager Gary McKay revealed some more details on what to expect from The Veilguard, as well as explaining some of the logic behind the name change.
“One thing that’s important to remind fans is that every Dragon Age game is a new and different experience and this game, more so than ever, is about you and your companions – a group that you must rally to fight by your side,” McKay told IGN at the time. “…“In the end, it was most important for us to have a title that was authentic to the companions that are the heart of this adventure we’ve created.”
The pressure on The Veilguard is undoubtably high for EA and BioWare, and it may just be the highest-stakes BioWare release yet. The studio suffered painful layoffs last year and the next installment in its other major series, Mass Effect, is still in pre-production.
We’ll learn a whole lot more when The Veilguard has its gameplay reveal next week.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.